ChipING introduces the ball that is Never Lost

On this new edition of TGD Product Showcase ChipING introduces the ball that is never lost. Host Shan Coughlin is joined on the phone and over the air by Thomas Sandel of Switzerland, a co-creator of the Never Lost golf ball, sharing this new, innovative technology with the golf world. Brand new and coming to the market, the Never Lost golf ball is a revolution in the golf ball industry. “I hit a lot of golf balls into the woods,” said Coughlin, “And now I don’t have to worry about finding them!”

The Chip-ing Never Lost golf ball connects to smart devices via Bluetooth technology, allowing golfers to pinpoint the exact location of their lost ball up to approximately 150 yards. According to Sandel, golfers won’t need to find any other signals and there are no roaming costs. The service is free of charge and helps locate lost balls in no time. The technology behind the Never Lost ball is the tiny chip located in the center of the ball. The chip, which is the size of three stacked dimes, consists of the electronics on one side and a battery on the other side. In all, the device is only a quarter the size of a golf ball and is the same weight as the ingredients of a standard golf ball, so the technology does not change the overall weight of the ball or the distribution of the weight inside the ball.

Coughlin asked Sandel how will this affect the feel of the ball coming off club. Sandel said his team has taken into consideration several points when creating this ball: How will ball perform? Will it work in general? Will it last? How does it behave? Sandel explained that Chip-ing did a roll test on the greens using USGA Stimpmeters and several different brands of balls to compare its Never Lost ball. The results were that the Never Lost ball rolls exactly the same as the other balls. Furthermore, it had the same flight path and spin rates. “It behaved exactly the same,” Sandel said. Additionally, Sandel explained that the battery inside the ball has a three-year shelf life.

Coughlin pointed out that this ball would be beneficial especially to amateaur golfers. “You looked at a study that said on average, golfers lose four and a half balls per round,” she said. “And that can get expensive. This will save money, but also save time.” Sandel said that Chip-ing makes three main claims on its website: Play faster. Score better. Save balls. The Never Lost ball will satisfy all those points.

Sandel said the ball can easily accelerate a game by half an hour, since the technology can locate the ball in an average 30 to 40 seconds. Additionally, players will be less likely to incur penalty strokes, and of course, the ball won’t be lost. “I can see where people would really enjoy less stress and less time,” Coughlin admitted. The Never Lost golf ball is not in production yet. Sandel said the company tends to keep it a little bit close at the moment. “We don’t want to roll out a product which will not make people happy,” he explained.

Chip-ing will take the time throughout the fall and winter breaks in Switzerland – about the next six months – to continue working on and improving the ball. Right now, only four people have played with the ball, including one lady professional. Chip-ing is currently waiting for funding to be able to go to production. Using the site Indiegogo.com to host their campaign, players are able to donate funds to support the retreiveable ball. The campaign can be accessed on the company’s site www.chip-ing.com. Sandel said the campaign will enable the company to bring the ball to market, as well as gain certification in countries that will sell the ball.

Sandel said there is no salary involved for him or his team at this time. The funding is strictly for the cost of materials and production of the ball. That is where the company is reaching out, Sandel told Coughlin. If your people and audience love our product and project, he said, check out the campaign and the perks we offer. For more information on the Never Lost golf ball, visit www.Chip-Ing.com. There you will find frequently asked questions, plenty of information about the ball’s capabilities and much more!